Can I transfer Viking Insurance from one cruise to another?

[suefrankw]

Hello..... hoping some seasoned Viking cruisers can help me on this. We are slated for a Nile river cruise in 2024. My husband was recently diagnosed with parkinsons and this cruise would be too strenuous for him. Of course being our 1st Viking cruise they made us pay in full last year for this cruise and we did take the Viking travel insurance.

 So, we are well before the 120 days cancel deadline so I know that it would be $100 per person to cancel and that insurance is non refundable.

Does anyone have experience, or know,  if we changed to another Viking cruise would we be able to transfer the current insurance to that new cruise itinerary?

thanks for your insight!!

[WanderingBrit]

I'm 99% confident that the answer is "No", but would be happy to be proved wrong. The Tripmate policy is specifically written for a stated itinerary.

[CDR2001]

Last year, well before 120 days out, we changed one Mediterranean itinerary for a different one, and the insurance transferred, with a price adjustment. We did not “cancel” the first cruise. I’m not sure how it worked but it did.  You or your TA can ask the Viking agent who booked the Nile cruise for you and see what can be done. (Name and phone are on your invoice.) Good Luck. 

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, suefrankw said:

Hello..... hoping some seasoned Viking cruisers can help me on this. We are slated for a Nile river cruise in 2024. My husband was recently diagnosed with parkinsons and this cruise would be too strenuous for him. Of course being our 1st Viking cruise they made us pay in full last year for this cruise and we did take the Viking travel insurance.

 So, we are well before the 120 days cancel deadline so I know that it would be $100 per person to cancel and that insurance is non refundable.

Does anyone have experience, or know,  if we changed to another Viking cruise would we be able to transfer the current insurance to that new cruise itinerary?

thanks for your insight!!

 

Provided you are changing an itinerary and they keep the same booking number, we have received credit for the Tripmate Insurance premiums. We changed from a River/Ocean Combo, to a Meddy/N Europe and again to a World Cruise.

 

Your TA may have to call a few times to find an agent that will make the transfers the way you want.

[lackcreativity]

I would agree that no is the most likely answer, but sometimes might be correct. We have actually done it, moving to a longer version of the initial booking on a different date. Viking rolled the insurance forward and we paid the increase on the premium since the cruise was more expensive. 

 

While our personal reason would have been a Cancel for Any Reason (expected birth of our first grandchild), I cannot remember if the first cruise was one with the special provisions that were linked to Covid bookings. Thus, the ability to move insurance forward to a different booking may have been due to circumstances that no longer apply.

 

In your case, requesting a change for a medical condition may be considered actually using the insurance, and thus you case may not quality at all. Best of luck in finding a suitable solutions.

[LindaS272]

24 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

I would agree that no is the most likely answer, but sometimes might be correct. We have actually done it, moving to a longer version of the initial booking on a different date. Viking rolled the insurance forward and we paid the increase on the premium since the cruise was more expensive. 

 

While our personal reason would have been a Cancel for Any Reason (expected birth of our first grandchild), I cannot remember if the first cruise was one with the special provisions that were linked to Covid bookings. Thus, the ability to move insurance forward to a different booking may have been due to circumstances that no longer apply.

 

In your case, requesting a change for a medical condition may be considered actually using the insurance, and thus you case may not quality at all. Best of luck in finding a suitable solutions.

But it would not be canceling, therefore not making a claim. Just doing a transfer.

[dd57]

We, too, have changed itinerary and dates, before 120 days, keeping the same booking number, and the Tripmate insurance moved. 

[suefrankw]

great info... thanks so much!!!

[lackcreativity]

3 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

But it would not be canceling, therefore not making a claim. Just doing a transfer.

Hope you are right about that. I will admit my knowledge about insurance is not what it should be. Even if I read the Terms and Conditions, then 5 minutes later it is all jumbled up in my head again. 😬

[Baron Barracuda]

Last month we  took advantage of a price drop by cancelling and rebooking our November Grand Polynesia sailing.  At the same time we booked Antarctica.  Despite quite a bit of back and forth Viking wouldn't allow us to transfer Tripmate to either new booking, simply cancelled it.   Ended up purchasing coverage from another carrier.

[suefrankw]

Baron Barracuda....  so by saying 'simply cancelled it" do you mean that you were refunded the insurance cost from the original cruise booking?

thanks for clarifying.

[Baron Barracuda]

4 hours ago, suefrankw said:

Baron Barracuda....  so by saying 'simply cancelled it" do you mean that you were refunded the insurance cost from the original cruise booking?

thanks for clarifying.

No.  Policy was simply cancelled with no refund forcing me to purchase replacement coverage for the rebooked cruise which we did through an outside agency.  Fortunately while I lost $2k on the insurance I saved $6K on the price drop.  Still learned a lesson and won't take Tripmate again.

[suefrankw]

A VERY HAPPY ENDING.... we called Viking and was able to transfer our monies paid and  the insurance from the river cruise previously booked to an ocean cruise with no loss at all.

I guess you never know til you ask....thanks all for your insight !!!

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, suefrankw said:

A VERY HAPPY ENDING.... we called Viking and was able to transfer our monies paid and  the insurance from the river cruise previously booked to an ocean cruise with no loss at all.

I guess you never know til you ask....thanks all for your insight !!!

good information to know!

[Newdaytrippers]

On 10/21/2023 at 8:20 AM, suefrankw said:

A VERY HAPPY ENDING.... we called Viking and was able to transfer our monies paid and  the insurance from the river cruise previously booked to an ocean cruise with no loss at all.

I guess you never know til you ask....thanks all for your insight !!!

This is actually the reason we chose our travel agent.  She advised against cancelling and was able to transfer the TripMate to another cruise with no penalty saving us a lot of money.  We had never used a TA before but are sold on ours now and we also now know we can get better coverage for less if we shop travel insurance and don’t automatically use TripMate.